Sports
Women's Olympic football: Bangladesh pull out of Asian qualifiers due to 'financial constraints'
Bangladesh women's football team will not participate in the first round of the Asian qualifiers matches of the Paris Olympics 2024 due to "financial constraints."
The team is not in a position to participate in the Olympic qualifiers despite taking all the preparations as the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) could not arrange the money for the team's airfare, accommodation, transport, and insurance fee, BFF General Secretary Abu Nayem Shohag told the media Wednesday.
The announcement came just one week before the start of the first round in Myanmar. The qualifiers are scheduled to be held at the Thuwunna Stadium in Myanmar's Yangon from April 5 to 11 this year.
Earlier, Bangladesh were placed in Group B along with hosts Myanmar, Iran and the Maldives.
16th round of Bangladesh Championship League resumes after one-month break
The 16th round of the Bangladesh Championship League (BCL) Football began Wednesday at the Birshrestha Shaheed Sipahi Mostafa Kamal Stadium in the capital's Kamalapur after about one month.
In today's match BFF Elite Football Academy outplayed Youngmen's Club Fakirerpool 3-0 in the afternoon.
Asadul scored all the goals for the winners in the fourth, 11th and 26th minutes, respectively.
Shakib takes five as Bangladesh beat Ireland by 77 runs to seal T20 series
Bangladesh beat Ireland by 77 runs in the second T20 Wednesday in Chattogram to win the series with one match to spare.
Put in to bat first, the Tigers Bangladesh scored 202 for three after the match was reduced to 17 overs per side due to rain.
Litton Das and Rony Talukdar scored 124 runs in just 9.2 overs in the first wicket stand. Litton smashed 10 fours and three sixes to score 83 off 41 balls before falling to Ben White in the 12th over.
The wicketkeeper-batter Litton hit fifty off 18 balls, the fastest fifty by a Bangladeshi in T20s. He broke the 20-ball fifty record of Mohammad Ashraful in 2007.
Talukdar, too, played a free-flowing knock of 44 off 23 balls before being caught by Mark Adair off Ben White.
After that, skipper Shakib Al Hasan and Towhid Hridoy continued to pile on the runs. Shakib struck three fours and three sixes in his unbeaten knock of 38 off 24 balls.
For Ireland, White was the pick of the bowlers, taking two wickets for 28 runs in his four overs. Adair also managed to pick up a wicket but conceded 52 runs in his four overs.
Read more: Shakib becomes leading wicket-taker in T20s
Chasing 203, Ireland failed to offer any resistance against Bangladesh's quality attack. The in-form Taskin Ahmed picked up the wicket of Ireland captain Paul Stirling off the first ball of the innings.
After Taskin's first wicket, Shakib bagged five wickets in his first three overs and returned the figures of five for 22 in four overs. With this, he became the highest wicket-taker in T20s, surpassing New Zealand's Tim Southee.
Shakib now has 136 wickets in the format in 114 matches while Southee has 134 in 107 matches. After Shakib's bowling spell, Taskin took two more wickets and took three for 27 in four overs.
Curtis Campher hit an unbeaten fifty off 30 balls for Ireland.
Both teams will now compete in the solitary Test in Dhaka, starting on April 4.
Shakib becomes leading wicket-taker in T20s
Bangladesh's T20 captain Shakib Al Hasan has become the highest wicket-taker in T20s, overtaking New Zealand's Tim Southee, who has 134 wickets in the format.
To become the leading wicket-taker in T20s, Shakib played 114 matches.
In the second T20 against Ireland in Chattogram, Shakib took five for 14 in his three overs, his second five-for in T20s and second-best bowling performance in the format. He returned figures of five for 22 in four overs.
Earlier, Bangladesh batted first and posted 202 for three in 17 overs, with the match being reduced to 17 overs per side due to rain.
Ireland got off to a terrible start, losing opener Paul Stirling for a duck off the first ball of the innings bowled by Taskin Ahmed. Shakib then took five wickets in just three overs, starting with Lorcan Tucker and ending with Harry Tector.
Bangladesh set 203-run target for Ireland in second T20I
Tigers have set a 203-run target for visiting Ireland in the second game of three-match T20 international (T20I) series at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram on Wednesday.
Earlier, Liton Das hit the fastest half-century in Twenty20s for Bangladesh from only 18 balls and broke the record of Mohammad Ashraful who had hit fifty off 20 balls against West Indies in 2007.
Ireland won the toss and elected to field first.
Liton hits fastest T20 fifty for Bangladesh
Liton Das possessed the record for the fastest half-century in Twenty20s for Bangladesh in his pocket during the second T20 against Ireland at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram on Wednesday.
Liton finished his half-century from only 18 balls and broke the record of Mohammad Ashraful who had hit fifty off 20 balls against West Indies in 2007.
Earlier, Ireland won the toss and elected to field first.
Prizes of First Division Women's Chess League distributed
The prizes of the Walton First Division Women's Chess League, organized by Bangladesh Chess Federation, was distributed at a function at the Bangladesh Chess Federation Hall-Room here on Wednesday.
FM Iqbal Bin Anower (Dawn), Senior Executive Director of the league sponsor Walton Hi-Tech Industries was the chief guest at the day's prize distribution ceremony and handed over the prizes.Masudur Rahman Mallik Dipu, Joint Secretary of Bangladesh Chess Federation was also present as special guest. Anjuman Ara Aksir, EC member of Bangladesh Chess Federation and Chairman of the Women's Chess Committee, presided over the function.
Bangladesh Police emerged unbeaten champions in this year's first division women's chess league securing 14 points from seven matches beating holders Bangladesh Navy by 2.5-1.5 game points in the 7th and last round match on Tuesday.
Last times champions Bangladesh Navy finished runners-up while Shahin Chess Club became third.
The champion Bangladesh Police received a prize money of Taka 25,000, the runners-up Bangladesh Navy received Taka 15,000 and the 3rd ranked Shahin Chess Club received Tk 10,000 alongside trophies and medals.
Board award winners of the league are: 1st Board-Wadifa Ahmed (Bangladesh Navy), 2nd Board-WCM Ahmed Walijah (Bangladesh Navy), 3rd Board- WGM Srija Seshadri (Bangladesh Police), 4th Board-Kazi Zarin Tasnim (Bangladesh Navy), Additional Board 1- WGM Velavan Varshini (Bangladesh Police) and Additional Board 2- Jannatul Preety (Shahin Chess Club).
Eight teams participated in this year's First Division Women's Chess League in round robin league system.
Ireland opt to bowl first in 2nd T20I
Ireland has won the toss and elected to field first in the second T20I of the three-match series against Bangladesh on Wednesday in Chattogram.
However, the start of the match may be delayed due to overcast conditions at the ground.
Bangladesh won the first T20I at the same venue under the DL Method as the match was shortened due to bad weather. A win in this match will secure the series for the Tigers.
Bangladesh has made no changes to their playing XI, as confirmed by captain Shakib Al Hasan during the toss.
Prior to the T20I series, the teams competed in a three-match ODI series, which Bangladesh won 2-0, with one match ending in no result due to rain in Sylhet.
Playing XI:
Bangladesh: Litton Das (wk), Rony Talukdar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Mustafizur Rahman
Ireland: Paul Stirling (capt), Ross Adair, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Fionn Hand, Graham Hume, Ben White
SAFF U-17 Women's Champs: Russia emerge unbeaten champions
European side Russia emerged as unbeaten champions in their first appearance in the five-nation South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) U-17 Women's Championship' 2023 beating India by 2-0 goals in the last match at the Bir Shrestha Shaheed Shipahi Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur Tuesday evening
Russia clinched the SAFF U-17 Women's crown with all win record securing full 12 points from straight four matches while hosts Bangladesh finished runners-up securing seven points from four outings.
Sub continental giant India came 3rd in the five nation fray collecting six points from four matches and received the fair play trophy.
Shilji Shahji of India named as the highest scorer of the tournament scoring eight goals while Elina Golik of the champions Russia was adjudged the most valuable player of the meet.
Nepalese custodian Sujata Tamang was adjudged the best goal keeper of the meet
Earlier, favourite Russia made an easy passage to clinch the title after winning the first three league matches against Bangladesh (3-0), Nepal (3-0), Bhutan ( 9-1) and reached their final goal beating India 2-0 in the last match on Tuesday
An per tournament format, each team play each other in single round robin league basis matches and the team with the most points to be the champions.
Bangladesh made a flying start with an emphatic 8-1 goals victory over Bhutan, lost to the European side Russia 0-3 and beat India 1-0 to the runners up while India beat Nepal 4-1, outplayed Bhutan 9-0 and lost to Bangladesh 0-1
Five countries, four from South Asia --- India, Nepal, Bhutan and hosts Bangladesh, along with European side Russia --are taking part in the nine-day meet, organized by SAFF, under the supervision of Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) in collaboration with UEFA.
Preview of BAN vs IRE 2nd T20I 2023: Bangladesh Eye to Win Series
After winning the one-day series by 2-0 against Ireland, Bangladesh also started the T20 series with a win. Shakib Al Hasan's team won by 22 runs in the Duckworth-Lewis method in a rain-affected Monday match. Now both teams are ready for the second encounter on March 29 at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. 2023 BAN vs IRE 2nd T20 will start at 2 PM.
BAN vs IRE 2nd T20I 2023: Match Preview
Ireland could not fight well in the ODI series. And it is assumed that we will also see the same outcome in the T20 series. Bangladesh may whitewash the Irish by playing organized cricket. The first match’s result also indicates the same.
The Irish were defeated by 22 runs in the first T20 of the series on Monday by the DLS method. After losing the toss and batting first, Bangladesh scored 207 runs for 5 wickets in 19.2 overs. Then the game was stopped due to rain. After more than two hours, Ireland got a changed target of 104 runs in 8 overs. But they lost 5 wickets and could not score more than 81 runs.
Read More: Rain washes out 2nd ODI between New Zealand and Sri Lanka
Bangladesh's two openers, Litton Das and Rony Talukdar, started in an aggressive mood. Their first wicket score was 91 runs in 7.1 overs. Litton scored 47 runs off 23 balls and hit 4 boundaries and 3 sixes. Rony scored 67 runs off 38 balls with 7 fours and 3 sixes.
Najmul Hossain Shanto (14 off 13 balls), who came down to bat at number three, did not hit a good score. Shamim Hossain, who came down at number four, scored 30 runs off 20 balls with 2 fours and 1 six. Captain Shakib and Mehidy Hasan Miraz remained unbeaten in the end. Shakib scored 20 runs off 13 balls with 3 fours.
On the other hand, Ireland’s equation was simplified with the Duckworth-Lewis method. The Irish started aggressively chasing runs.
Read More: Dhaka League: Mohammedan's losing streak continue
The Bangladeshi pacers proved too strong for Ireland, with Taskin Ahmed and Hasan Mahmud delivering excellent bowling. Taskin's career-best performance helped Bangladesh secure an impressive victory in a rain-affected match. Taskin Ahmed took 4 wickets with only 16 runs with the ball, which is his career’s best bowling in T20. His previous record was 4 wickets for 25 runs. Hasan Mahmud took the remaining wicket.
However, Ireland got a good batting condition due to rain, but they failed. Hopefully, they will try to come back to the series in the second match. Bangladesh, on the other hand, should be in a cheerful mood as they are one victory away from winning the series.
Pitch Report and Weather
The pitch in Chittagong for the first game of the series was an outstanding one, and it is expected to stay the same for the second match on Wednesday. Batsmen should have no trouble getting the ball off the square. According to the weather forecast, it looks like a pleasant day for the players and fans, with no chance of rain and temperatures around 30 degrees Celsius. Humidity levels are expected to be in the 60s.
Read More: Bangladesh vs Ireland: Taskin takes four as Tigers win rain-hit T20 opener
Probable XIs in the 2023 Bangladesh vs Ireland 2nd T20I
Probable Bangladesh Squad
Litton Das (wk), Rony Talukdar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud.
Probable Ireland Squad
Paul Stirling (c), Ross Adair, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Craig Young, Graham Hume, Benjamin White.
Changes in the Team
There are no changes for the Bangladesh team, and it is expected that the tigers will start the match with the same squad. However, the day before the start of the T20 series, there has been a change in the Irish camp. Regular captain Andrew Balbirnie has been rested. Paul Stirling will lead the three-match T20 series against Bangladesh starting. Lorcan Tucker will serve as a vice caption. Leadership is nothing new for Sterling. After becoming vice-captain in 2019, he has captained six T20Is for Ireland so far.
Read More: Bangladesh’s ODI Series Win Against Ireland: Records, best performances, milestones achieved
Key Players to Watch in BAN vs IRE 2nd T20I
Bangladeshi Players to Watch
Rony Talukdar will be on the watch list due to his incredible innings. He got his first fifty in his international career in the first T20 match of the series against Ireland at Zahoor Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong on Monday. Rony returned to the dressing room with explosive innings of 67 runs off 38 balls. His aggressive batting style helped Bangladesh score 81 runs without a wicket in 6 overs, which is the Bangladesh team's powerplay record.
In the bowling section, Taskin Ahmed has been very consistent, and his pace action certainly helped Bangladesh to stop Ireland. Coming in the fourth over of the innings, this pacer took 3 wickets and put Bangladesh in a strong position in the match. Taskin bowled two batters, including skipper Starling and one got caught out. So, the Irish will surely play Taskin’s ball carefully in the next game.
Irish Players to Watch
The Irish got off to a great start in the first match, and Paul Stirling started it. Stirling face the first ball of the innings and hit Nasum Ahmed down the ground a four. Again, he swept two more fours in this over. He scored 17 runs from 8 balls. This aggressive batter can be a headache for Bangladesh.
Read More: Analysis of Bangladesh T20 Squad Against Ireland
Craig Young was the only blower to take 2 wickets in the first match. So, he might put more effort into the second match. Overall, he has 57 T20 wickets in 54 matches.
Final Words
The Irish are far behind Bangladesh in terms of strength. That gap is expected to increase further at Chittagong in the second BAN vs IRE T20I. However, this Bangladesh had no plan of winning by making a spin stage in Mirpur, as the series is being played at Chittagong's batting support wicket. And we have seen 200+ scores in the last match. So, if Bangladesh bats first in the next match, we may see another big score.